Threats and Vulnerabilities of Next Generation Satellite Personal Communications Systems: A Defence Perspective

The Fourth Generation (4G) of wireless communications systems is coming, combining voice and data on a single packet-based all-IP core network, with bandwidth providing data rates in the range of a few to hundreds of MB/s. This new high-speed data network, combined with the latest technology developments, should enable the advent of a multitude of new multimedia applications, which will be available to the user on his own handset. Following the wireless Personal Communications Systems (PCS) trend, Satellite Personal Communications Systems (SPCS) are also expected to provide multimedia applications on this integrated network. However, as this new technology is rolled-out, it is also expected that it will come with its own set of vulnerabilities that could potentially constitute a threat to network reliability and secure communications. Because of its numerous advantages, SPCS is known to be used for security and defence applications by military and paramilitary forces around the world. From a defence perspective, it is therefore imperative to address this potential emerging threat.